One Clear Message
Posted by: forthright <forthright@...>
http://www.forthright.net
Going straight to the Cross
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Come out from the cold, and join the family.
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COLUMN: Heavenly Connections
One Clear Message
by Tim Hall
Standing in that room that night, I felt very much
like a foreigner. I was a foreigner. I was in this
country for a few days, and things were so
different from my home. The most frustrating fact
was that I did not speak the language of the land.
Only through the few who could speak English was I
able to communicate.
The room we were in served as a meeting place for
a new congregation of Christians. It was a small
room; probably a maximum of thirty would fit here.
But that was more than sufficient, for there were
only four Christians in this large city.
Occasionally others would visit. Those few
Christians probably feel like foreigners
sometimes, too.
The words the preacher had written on the marker
board didn't mean much to me, since I couldn't
read Spanish. I could, however, make out the last
line: "the church = the family". The message was
simple but clear. "How appropriate," I thought,
"that the preacher is stressing this theme."
American Christians worshipping in America often
lose sight of the significance of this clear
message. We are in our comfort zones. Everything
around us is familiar: the customs, the writing on
the marker boards, the language spoken. "Going to
church" is a social event, and we chat happily
with one another. Then we go home.
Christ declared the church be a family. "Family"
can be a very important concept at times. When
tragedy strikes, we turn to our families. Illness
and death make us long for the strength found only
in our families. "Family" is made up of those who
are closest to us, the ones who share our values,
our dreams, our blood. When life looks dark and
unfamiliar, we yearn for family.
Paul wrote to the Christians at Thessalonica,
noting that they had been thrown into a period of
affliction and suffering. What might happen to
Christians in such a situation? ". . . that no one
should be shaken by these afflictions" (1
Thessalonians 3:3, New King James Version). The
suffering is not what we expected. When our faith
is the cause of our suffering, we are tempted to
throw in the towel. We are shaken.
So what can be done to help keep Christians from
being shaken? Paul wrote about how he had "sent
Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our
fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to
establish you and encourage you concerning your
faith" (1 Thessalonians 3:2). That's family in
action! Timothy, one who cared deeply about his
spiritual brethren in Thessalonica, went to them
to strengthen and encourage them. His objective
was to keep them from being shaken.
Who will come to us if we're not part of a family?
Not all churches seek to be the families Christ
meant for them to be. Some think that teaching
correct doctrine is the extent of their charge.
Teaching correct doctrine is extremely important;
we do not seek to minimize that goal. But a church
that stops short of building family ties among its
members is not rising to the standard Christ set
for His church. (Read and contemplate Philippians
2:1-8 if that message is not yet clear in your
mind. Or perhaps John 13:35.)
From my brief meeting with the preacher of this
small church in a distant land, I suspect he has
not had very much formal education. But when I saw
the message at the bottom of the marker board --
"the church = the family" -- I knew he had been
educated by the Lord!
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